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matriarchate

 - 3 dictionary results

ma⋅tri⋅ar⋅chate

  [mey-tree-ahr-kit, -keyt]
Use matriarchate in a Sentence
–noun
1. a matriarchal system or community.
2. a social order formerly believed to have preceded patriarchal tribal society in the early period of human communal life, embodying rule by the mothers, or by all adult women.
Origin:
1880–85; matriarch + -ate 3
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To matriarchate
ma·tri·ar·chate   (mā'trē-är'kĭt, -kāt')   
n.  

  1. See matriarchy.

  2. A hypothetical stage in the evolution of a society in which authority is held by women.

ma·tri·ar·chy   (mā'trē-är'kē)   
n.   pl. ma·tri·ar·chies In both senses also called matriarchate.

  1. A social system in which the mother is head of the family.

  2. A family, community, or society based on this system or governed by women.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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